Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Latter Part of the 20th Century - Term Paper Example

of the of the of the Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Latter Part of the 20th Century The concept of Islamic fundamentalism refers to the new trend that has emerged in the Islamic world. The proponents of this movement demand the strict implementation of the Sharia law; and a separate Islamic State that implements the latter. Some of the reasons that contributed to the emergence of Islamic fundamentalism are an increasing opposition to the Western way of life, and the growing incidence of corruption in the Muslim world (Rippin 184). The movement for establishing an Islamic state is referred to as Islamic fundamentalism. The notion of fundamentalism, per se, first emerged in the early 12th century, with regard to the role of Church in the state. However, modern commentators do not agree with this interpretation. The word fundamentalism was first coined in the United States in the early 1900s, where it was applied to religious groups (Rippin 184). It was employed by theologically conservative Protestants, who opposed modernism and liberalism. The members of this group were wont to claim that they were great fundamentalists of their faith. Subsequently, this term was applied to any religious group that demanded the exclusive implementation of their religious beliefs (Rippin 184). The 1970s witnessed a significant amount of political victories by the Islamic fundamentalists. In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran through his Islamic movement. He was successful in his revolution against the westernized politics of the Shah of Iran. The tyrants and dictators of the Arab world lent their support to Islamic fundamentalism, in order to strengthen their position (Palmowski). Some instances of this trend, were the vocal support that was forthcoming from Saddam Hussein, in Iraq; and Muammar Gaddafi, in Libya. In Sudan, Nigeria, and several Islamic nations, the governments made several concessions to the Islamic fundamentalists, by providing them with funds and a number of concessions. This trend had commenced in the early 1990s (Palmowski). In the early 1970s, there were two major developments that enhanced to the growing influence of Islam at the international level. First, the cost of crude petroleum oil increased in an unprecedented manner, thereby rendering the oil producing countries of West Asia, extremely wealthy. Second, the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR in 1979, which created considerable tension in the region. This was accompanied by the Islamic revolution in Iran, which brought the Islamic fundamentalist, Ayatollah Khomeini to power (Ghosh 288). The American hostage crises served to attract international attention towards the developments in the Islamic world. The nations of the World realized that the dominance of fundamentalism in the Islamic world was in the ascendant. Gradually, most of the Muslim world was rendered vulnerable. Most of the Islamic nations were burdened with autocratic rule; and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union, further complicated the issue, in that region (Ghosh 288). In 1999, the Pakistan Human Rights Commission reported that there were nearly a hundred and fifty madrassas in Pakistan, which were actively engaged in providing training for terrorists. The students in these madrassas were indoctrinated from a very young age. Pakistan has nearly 50,000 madrassas, ostensibly for imparting religious teaching. However, most of these madrassas teach Islamic fundamentalism (Ghosh 289). In Pakistan, religious teaching proved to be a diversionary tactic for these madrassas. The real teaching in these madrassas was related to spreading violence against communities that pertained to other religions. As such, the majority of these madrassas obtain ample funds from terrorist groups and Islamic fundamentalist organizations (Ghosh 289). The Shiite rulers of Iran, led by Khomeini and the Sunni Wahabis of Saudi Arabia, keenly contested the ideological leadership of the Islamic world. This struggle for leadership in the 1980s was won by the Saudis, due to their superior wealth and economic strength. The Saudis used their enormous wealth to support madrassas in the other Muslim countries. They combined this funding with endeavors to project the Shiaism of Iran as being abhorrence to the Sunnis (Ghosh 290). In 1928, Hasan al-Banna, established the earliest fundamentalist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, in Egypt. It was established as a humanitarian organization, which participated in the Egyptian elections of the 1980s, and emerged as the largest opposition party in Egypt. Although a fundamentalist group, this organization has never been designated as a terrorist organization (Hilton 358). Another example of a fundamentalist group that does not indulge in terrorist activities is the Justice and Charity of Morocco. Thus, there is considerable variation in the aims and ideologies of the extreme organizations. These differences can be chiefly attributed to the political and geographical differences between nations (Hilton 358). The emergence of Islamic fundamentalism can be attributed, in the main, to the failure of other ideologies. This contention is aptly illustrated by the example of several countries of Africa, the Muslim world and South America; which joined forces with the Soviet Union and adopted communism. The latter effectively excluded religious fundamentalism, because of its insistence on a secular approach. The subsequent disbandment of the Soviet Union, served to ring the death knell of the communist regimes, across the world (Wing 416). Furthermore, Arab nationalism, in the initial stages, proved to be firmly entrenched in the Middle East. This ideology was akin to communism, in as much as it engendered secularism. Consequently, the Islamic fundamentalists did not find the situation conducive to their ideology. Moreover, the Arab nationalistic ideology, as championed by eminent rulers, like Nasser of Egypt; found favor with the youth of the Arab and Muslim countries of the region (Wing 416). All this has changed, in the post Cold War era, and Islamic fundamentalism has raised its ugly head, in the Muslim world. The impoverished and war torn nations of the Muslim world, were desperate for change. The social situation was untenable for many, and the people adopted religion, in order to find solace and direction, in their life. At this critical juncture, Islamic fundamentalism made its entry into the lives of these hapless people. Consequently, these people developed a distinct Islamic identity; which was in direct contrast to the secular identity of the developed countries (Wing 417). There is a growing tendency among many countries that the US and its Western Allies exert undue influence on the rest of the world. This Western imperialism has been opposed by many of the people. Furthermore, the culture of the American is pervasive and has been seen to be at marked variance with several of the local traditions. The US culture has been deemed to be alien and permissive by a large number of societies (Wing 417). This cultural dominance has been vehemently opposed in the Muslim world, which has repeatedly expressed its strong opposition to these developments. The entire Muslim world is now witness to a return to traditional values, and this has resulted in an accompanying rejection of Western culture. This trend is evident in countries like Egypt, which had once been renowned for its secular outlook (Wing 417). The strengthening of the Islamic fundamentalist movement created tensions among the moderate Muslims and Christian minorities, in those nations. Islamic fundamentalism has created a number of problems in Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Algeria and Morocco. The Islamic movement has generally been successful, because it promises certainty and justice to the poor. An important attribute of these movements, is that their religious network has proved to be much stronger than the political structures. Islamic fundamentalism varies in its impact, from nation to nation; and this depends on the specific conditions in any particular country (Palmowski). Islamic fundamentalist movements, chiefly focus on reformism, revivalism, and radical defense. The central issue is to establish a traditional Islamic State that is based on Islamic principles and values. The Islamic fundamentalist movement attempts to replicate the Prophet Muhammad’s campaigns against moral corruption. As such, Islamic fundamentalism, seeks to implement social norms that are based on Islam (Langman and Morris). The proponents of Islamic fundamentalism extol the battles of Prophet Muhammad against other religions and immorality. It is their contention that Islamic fundamentalism, establishes justice, by denigrating and discarding western civilization, culture and other religions. Islamic fundamentalists, attribute their perceived decline of Islam to a departure of Muslims from the practice of its religious tenets. They also blame Western influences and non – adherence to the Sharia law. It is their firm belief that the lost glory can be reclaimed by reintroducing the Sharia law and re – politicizing Islam (Langman and Morris). There are many factors that contribute to the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. Some of these are economic backwardness, traditional education that has scant bearing on the real world, and suppression of political dissent. The cost of modern education being beyond the reach of many, a sizeable section of the population is compelled to resort to the traditional Islamic educational institutions (Langman and Morris). These institutions are heavily subsidized and they teach a fundamentalist version of Islamism. A very important example of this pernicious practice is constituted by the madrassas of Pakistan, which are provided with vast funds by Saudi Arabia. Most of the madrassas have been established as centers that teach their students Islamic fundamentalism (Langman and Morris). Islamic militant movements mainly concentrate and oppose the domination of the West. Islamic fundamentalist movements require the people to strictly adhere to Islamic tenets and moral code (Munson 384). Fundamentalism perpetrates religious bias, and fanaticism. In addition, the term fundamentalist brings to mind, images of religious outrage. Moreover, of late, the word fundamentalism has become synonymous with Islam. As such, Islamic fundamentalism demands that civil and criminal law should be founded on the Sharia or sacred law (Munson 385). These international initiatives resulted in the emergence of a strong Jihad philosophy. This philosophy of Islamic fundamentalism has been growing from strength to strength. In addition, this philosophy blatantly promotes extremist tendencies. The madrassas gladly perpetuated Islamic fundamentalist tendencies amongst their students, in order to keep receiving funds from Saudi Arabia (Ghosh 290). Pakistan had harbored just thirty religious parties, until the time of the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, in 1979. The Afghan crisis proved to be a stimulus for the religious parties, which increased in number, during this time. Pakistan’s ruler General Zia – ul – Haq employed the madrassas to consolidate his hold over the nation. This changed their way of teaching, which subsequently, promoted his interests (Ghosh 290). Several of the descriptions of Islamic fundamentalism, have emphasized that religion brings about a violent and unreasonable stance. Islamic fundamentalism is a religious movement that attempts to restore tenets and morals that are based on Islam. The strategies and tactics, employed by fundamentalist groups assume various forms. Consequently, it would be incorrect to classify all of them as being acts of terrorism or extremism (Hilton 357). Unfortunately, the Muslim world has discarded the Western egalitarian model in its totality, in favor of a fundamentalist dispensation. Some of the casualties of this myopic perspective are the rejection of international human rights; civil and political standards that had been enshrined in the US Constitution, the French Declaration of Rights of Man, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; which have been considered to be unsuitable for the Muslim world (Wing 417). A major objection to secularism, among the Muslim countries is in respect of the right to religious freedom. This right includes the right to change one’s religion at will, and this is held to be a heinous crime in Islam. Fundamentally, Islamic fundamentalism rejects the very basis of democracy, namely freedom of speech, association, assembly, and equal protection. The Muslim world had, in the main, been subjected to despotic or autocratic rule. This rule, on the whole, secular in nature; and subsequent to being supplanted by Islamic fundamentalism, secularism was abolished. The exploited and impoverished Muslim now found Islamic identity as a member of a Muslim country and a larger Islamic community. This constitutes the principal attraction that Islamic fundamentalism holds out for the denizens of the Muslim world. Works Cited Ghosh, Partha S. "Islamic extremism in South Asia." International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice 36 (2008): 286 – 297. Hilton, Seth. "American Conceptions of the Middle East and Islam." U.C. Davis Journal of International Law & Policy 1 (1995): 355 – 358. Langman, Lauren and Douglas Morris. Islamic Terrorism: From Retrenchment to Ressentiment and beyond. 2002. 8 December 2009 . Munson, Henry. "Fundamentalism." Religion 33 (2003): 381 – 385. Palmowski, Jan. Islamic fundamentalism. 2004. 8 December 2009 . Rippin, Andrew. Muslims: their religious beliefs and practices. Routledge, 2001. Wing, Adrien Katherine. "International Law, Secularism, and the Islamic World." American University International Law Review 24 (2009): 407 – 418. Read More